https://data.snf.ch/grants?funding-l3=43D1CBC6-54C6-2121-2150-158F60D8ABF4&field-l1=66866194-58E9-C77F-5344-CF70A5AF4AD2
Lay summary examples:
final abstract
From platforms for carbon removal to augmented reality applications for urban governance, digital infrastructure is increasingly being positioned as essential for acting upon climate change. As part of the twin digital and green transition, such interventions intend to enhance synergies between communities, technological advancements, and environmental sustainability. "Infrastructural Rehearsals" investigates the responses from creative communities across Switzerland, European Union and the United Kingdom to the digital and green transition and crucially their own proposals for infrastructual transformations. Their infrastructural responses at the intersection of art and design are generating new creative practices and social-political impacts that have yet to be extensively researched. Since imagination and creative life are prerequisites for political participation, paying attention to them is crucial because the twin transition risks producing further social-political inequities and environmental damage.
The project crucially addresses how in response to the increase of digital infrastructures to manage environmental transformation, communities including cultural organisers, artists, curators, environmental activists, social justice groups and digital collectives imagine, demonstrate and make perceivable the futures-they-need. Their responses include aesthetic and narrative strategies for a more equitable transition, navigating the societal and environmental challenges of racial capitalism and climate crisis––demonstrative, reflective and speculative projects such as climate action storytelling projects, bugreporting on big tech, toolkits, or the co-design and building of community infrastructures.
How effective are these practices beyond generating novel aesthetic strategies or technological solutions? How are they giving rise to new modes of knowledge for generating environmental awareness and practice? We argue that the complex relations with infrastructures shape and are shaped by art, design and activist practices. Infrastructural Rehearsals are creative anticipatory practices that seek to sustain the future and livelihoods of communities in the transition to a low-carbon economy. They significantly shift tools, sites, and knowledge to make space for public engagement with intersectional concerns such as gender equality, queer futures, and anti-racist approaches. Such infrastructural rehearsals take the form of grounded speculations, often involving digital media practices that generate infrastructural imaginaries and model modes of green and digital transition through prototypes, toolkits, as well as workshops and events. Actions and campaigns focus on building alternatives through creating scenography to commune within and to collectively learn and revise from.
This ambitious program will generate important and urgent contributions to arts research and environmental scholarship across disciplines, but specifically to the fields of art, visual studies, and design. Situated at the intersection of arts-based research, design practice, digital media anthropology, infrastructural humanities, queer feminist technoscience and science and technology studies (STS), the research will demonstrate through empirical research and an inventive multi-modal methodology 1) how infrastructure for the digital and green transition impacts socio-ecological relations, where the twin digital and green transition becomes a social-political infrastructure for addressing environmental change, 2) contribute to new knowledge in the arts, design and media practice through infrastructural rehearsals, empiric artefacts and on the spot critical toolkits, and 3) contribute a set of practices that propose equitable approaches from arts-based knowledge for communities to mobilise in their responses to digital-environmental practice and policy.
Suggested replacement for the abstract
From platforms for carbon removal to augmented reality applications for urban governance, digital infrastructure is increasingly being positioned as essential for acting upon climate change. As part of the twin digital and green transition such interventions intend to enhance synergies between communities, technological advancements, and environmental sustainability. "Infrastructural Rehearsals" investigates the responses on the ground from communities across Switzerland (CH), European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) to these infrastructural proposals for the digital and green transition and crucially their own proposals for infrastructual transformations. While there is now extensive research on technical solutions, and innovations for the digital and green transition, creative community responses to these infrastructures have been less well studied and knowledge produced through creative practices remains overlooked. Since imagination and creative life are prerequisites for political participation, the twin transition risks producing further social-political inequities and environmental damage.
This research project crucially addresses how in response to the increase of digital infrastructures to manage environmental transformation, communities including cultural organisers, artists, curators, environmental activists, social justice groups and digital collectives imagine, demonstrate and make perceivable the futures-they-need for a more equitable transition. These ground-up responses include aesthetic and narrative strategies for navigating the societal and environmental challenges of racial capitalism and climate crisis––demonstrative, reflective and speculative projects such as climate action storytelling projects, bugreporting on big tech, artwork infrastructures and toolkits, or the co-design and building of community infrastructures. These infrastructural responses at the intersection of art and design are generating new creative practices and social-political impacts that have yet to be extensively researched. How effective are these practices beyond generating novel aesthetic strategies or proposals for technological solutions? How are they giving rise to new modes of knowledge for generating environmental awareness and practice? We argue that the complex relations with infrastructures shape and are shaped by art, design and activist practices. After Susan Leigh Star and Karen Ruhleder, we understand green and digital transition infrastructures as responsive to the conditions that make them, rather than being static structures (1996, 4). Infrastructural Rehearsals are creative anticipatory practices that seek to sustain the future and livelihoods of communities in the transition to a low-carbon economy and significantly shifting the tools, sites, and knowledge of creative practices. They make space for public engagement with intersectional concerns such as gender equality, queer futures, and anti-racist approaches. Such infrastructural rehearsals take the form of grounded speculations, often involving digital media practices that generate infrastructural imaginaries and model modes of green and digital transition through prototypes, toolkits, as well as workshops and events. Actions and campaigns focus on building alternatives through creating scenography to commune within and to collectively learn and revise from.
This ambitious program will generate important and urgent contributions to arts research and environmental scholarship across disciplines, but specifically to the fields of art, visual studies, and design. Situated at the intersection of arts-based research, design practice, digital media anthropology, infrastructural humanities and science and technology studies (STS), the research will demonstrate through empirical research and an inventive multi-modal methodology 1) how infrastructure for the digital and green transition impacts socio-ecological relations, where the twin digital and green transition becomes a social-political infrastructure for addressing environmental change, 2) contribute to new knowledge in the arts, design and media practice through infrastructural rehearsals, empiric artefacts and on the spot critical toolkits, and 3) contribute a set of practices that propose equitable approaches from arts-based knowledge for communities to mobilise in their responses to digital-environmental practice and policy.
Academic Abstract - 500 words (they copied and pasted this from the summary from the app - we can change a bit- as it much more goals than an abstract i think - maybe in our cfs we have something more narrative - copying and pasting it below at end if doc )
From platforms for carbon removal to augmented reality applications for urban governance, digital infrastructure is increasingly being positioned as essential for acting upon climate change as part of the green and digital transition. As part of the twin digital and green transition such interventions intend to enhance synergies between communities, technological advancements, and environmental sustainability. However, communities across Switzerland (CH), European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) are responding with their own proposals for––and contestations of––these infrastructural transformations. These proposals include rehearsing ground-up responses, specifically aesthetic and narrative strategies to navigate the societal and environmental challenges posed by climate crisis. These reflective infrastructural practices at the intersection of art practice and design are generating new creative practices and social-political impacts that have yet to be extensively researched. How effective are these practices in not just generating novel aesthetic strategies or proposals for technical solutions but giving rise to new modes of knowledge in the arts and humanities for generating environmental awareness and practice? Through a 3-phase multi-modal research design, the research will 1) demonstrate through empirical research and an inventive multi-modal methodology how infrastructure for the digital and green transition impacts socio-ecological relations, and 2) contribute to new knowledge in the arts, design and media practice through infrastructural rehearsals and on the spot critical toolkits, and 3) contribute a set of practices that propose equitable approaches from arts-based knowledge to digital-environmental practice and policy. This ambitious program has the potential to support a shift-change in arts research. The aims of “Infrastructural Rehearsals” are:
1. To articulate and scope the impact on communities of the digital and green transition (phase 1)
2. To analyse the material, political, affective and creative strategies that communities develop to address the digital and green transition (phase 2)
3.To reflect on the impact of creative strategies and infrastructures on the design and governance of digital and green transitions (phase 3)
We will reach these aims through our objectives which are:
1. We will design situations to scope the impacts of digital and green transition and the creative practice responses. Drop-in clinics will identify stakeholders and bring them together into a shared problem space across regions and at the intersection of the digital and green transition (phase 1).
2. We will study and uncover the implications of the twin green and digital transition by applying primary research methods so as to be able to demonstrate how infrastructures of the the transition and creative practice are co-constituted (phase 2).
3. Design an interactive model the “Green and Digital Transition Infrastructure Observatory” to interrogate the impact of transition infrastructure. Gatherings are led together with practitioners involved in design, creative practices, administration, and support. (phase 2)
4. Mobilize collective articulations and turn them into institution building efforts. In order to do so effectively, we generalise from the different methods and actions (phase 3).
To make these processes and practices legible, we will:
1. Organise a public-facing Project Summit, involving lectures, performances and artistic interventions led by the stakeholders and document this in an edited volume.
2. Write 2 PhD theses. 4 co-authored research papers, 6 conference papers and a project monograph.
3. Produce 3-5 empiric artefacts and document the research on a publicly accessible wiki.
4. Produce 2 community publications and a public policy primer.
Lay Summary
Lead
As climate change becomes rapidly tangible governments and corporations are proposing digital infrastructure as essential for addressing social and environmental challenges, often referring to this as the twin digital and green transition. "Infrastructural Rehearsals" aims to gain insights into how this is impacting communities and to document their responses because we believe it is important knowledge that can contribute to an equitable just transition and life affirming infrastructuring.
Lay Summary
As climate change becomes rapidly tangible governments and corporations are proposing digital infrastructure as essential for addressing social and environmental challenges, often referring to this as the twin digital and green transition. "Infrastructural Rehearsals" aims to gain insights into how this is impacting communities and to document their responses because we believe it is important knowledge that can contribute to an equitable just transition and life affirming infrastructuring. The research project crucially addresses how in response to the increase of digital infrastructures to manage environmental transformation, communities including cultural organisers, artists, curators, environmental activists, social justice groups and digital collectives are making proposals for what we refer to as infrastructural rehearsals. These ground-up responses include digital media and design practices that model the green and digital transition through prototypes, toolkits, workshops and events. They also include actions and campaigns that focus on building alternatives through creating scenography to commune within and to collectively practice, learn and revise from. Together with communities and cultural organisers we will research how creative practices seek to sustain the future and livelihoods in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Engaging with concerns such as equality, queer futures, and anti-racism. Through inventive methods such as On-the-spot toolkits, Drop-in clinics and Infrastructuralism incident reports, we will reflect on how creative practice can contribute to the design and governance of a more equitable digital and green transition.
Als Antwort auf die immer deutlicher spürbaren Folgen des Klimawandels schlagen europäische Regierungen und Unternehmen vor, digitale Infrastrukturen für die Bewältigung sozialer und ökologischer Herausforderungen zu nutzen und sprechen dabei von einer "twin digital and green transformation". Mit "Infrastructural Rehearsals" möchten wir herausfinden, wie sich diese Transformation auf bestimmte Gemeinschaften auswirkt bzw. wie diese Gruppen auf neue, digital Infrastrukturen reagieren. Das Forschungsprojekt befasst sich vor allem mit Projekten und Vorschlägen von Kulturveranstalter:innen, Künstler:innen, Kurator:innen, Aktivist:innen und digitale Kollektiven. Infrastructural Rehearsals umfassen digitale Medien und Designpraktiken, die den grünen und digitalen Wandel durch Prototypen, Workshops und Veranstaltungen modellieren sowie Aktionen und Kampagnen, die Szenarien und Szenografien schaffen, in denen alternative digitale Infrastrukturen gemeinsam erprobt werden können. Mit Gemeinden und Kulturveranstalter:innen werden wir erforschen, wie kreative Praktiken die Zukunft und den Lebensunterhalt im Übergang zu kohlenstoffarmen Wirtschaft sichern können. Wir setzen uns mit Themen wie Gleichberechtigung, queeren Zukünften und Antirassismus auseinander. Mit kreativen Methoden wie On-the-spot-toolkits und Drop-in-Kliniken werden wir darüber nachdenken, wie kreative Praktiken zur Gestaltung und Steuerung eines gerechteren digitalen und grünen Übergangs beitragen können.
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An activist collective inquiry
Inquires through practice-based research at ways communities respond to climate change and racial capitalism through abolitionist practices
Inquires through practice-based research at ways that communities respond to questions of infrastructures
"Arts based knowledge" (is the field? is the trick?): aesthetic practice in expanded sense. Might mean artists and designers?
Creative strategies that communities are using
How communities are struggling and resisting infra shift and other infra relations
Making activist practice visible
--> Public inquiry based in action
based in art and design practices? creative practice?
community knowledge and practices are already there, of importance and being defunded, eclipsed
also many have taken on thinking about the digital
scoping
rehearsal
exchan
ge, governance
infrastructural transformation in response to all pressures on the world = polycrisis
I am writing with a request to confirm that the SNSF will cover costs included under staffing for UoW which is infact the yearly payment for the Phd fees for doctoral candidate Cassandra Troyan who will be registered in a cooperation between IXDM and University of Westminster. As the SNSF is aware the UK phd require fees https://www.westminster.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/fees-and-funding, and there is no fee waivers available, and after a pre discussion with the international co-investigator we were advised to include them in this way. Professor Dr. Miriyam Aouragh will contribute to the overall research project as well as supervise the PhD as the Co-PI and her expertise as outlined by the reviewers is an important contribution to the project. The matriculaiton of Cassandra Troyan at CAMRI University of Westminster will provide the specific support for their PhD, and the conceptual and methdological expertise provided in the doctoral school will be invalable to the research aims and goals of the research project. The fees for the Ph.D. program over three years, will be 17399.79 CHF per year with an additional 1689.30 chf for the 4th year. We would transfer these costs directly to the International CO-I or alternatively we could pay them directly from FHNW.
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So, the total fees for a Ph.D. program over three years, including the initial cost, annual increases, and writing up fees, would be £50,534.45.
*All fees are expected to increase annually by 3 per cent in line with expected inflation.